Next story in Decision 2012

Video: President Obama formally launches re-election bid

>>be the first billion dollar campaign in
u.s. history
. by the way try to find the president in here.

>>i respect and trust him.

>>there are so many things that are still on the table that need to be addressed and we want them to be addressed by
president obama
.

>>when you watch the video, there is only one bit of footage.

>>the campaign unveiled the new logo for
2012
. the president will file with the fec this morning. mark we knew this is kind of how we would do it. there was a question of if they would do it before the
government shutdown
. we had a government shut down but this is about racing money and they wanted to get this down to show a quarter raising. the new quarter of the year starts in
2011
.
april 1st
, and they want to be able to raise as much money. they can show tens of millions of dollars as they may have been able to raise. and is the idea to stretch out the
fund raising
over several months more than a year?

>>of course it seems early, but it is not that early. in fact
bill clinton
filed this apes on
april 14th
.
george w. bush
filed in early may. it is about raising money but also the logistics of getting a campaign goes. i was in chicago where they have to file this paperwork before they can open the doors to the office. it is about building the
grass roots
effort. and they have a lot of work to do. some democrats are thot thrilled with having this president has done. they need all the time they can get. a lot of that time is going to be devoted in the
battleground states
. let's have the most up-to-date battleground map for
2012
. ten of them that we have in our toss up column. colorado, florida, iowa, nevada, mexico,
north carolina
, ohio, virginia, wisconsin, what is surprising is pennsylvania and missouri. those states seem to be leaning in the republican republican columns but what is on there and that is
north carolina
, florida and virginia which may be the whole ballgame. and those states represent the alabama voters. we have talked about the midwest and ohio, the michigan, and we'll still be battlegrounds. the new states you have to add colorado too. there is a reason why the alababobama campaign picked those areas.

>>and can they talk about expanding the map in
2012
?

>>at this point they talk about expanding the map. he has maps from the aaa that will be hanging in this office. he claims they can expand the map. the map is going to be more narrow than it was in
2008
. things have changed. if they are fighting in iowa, things are much more difficult for them. at the
end of the day
, the new numbers provide hope for them so they think they can expand it. at the
end of the day
, the map as you have laid out is probably what it is going to look like.
georgia
and arizona, those are the two, jim is obsessed with
georgia
. they would say strongly interested, these are
2011
projects, they are going to try to see what happens, you have the gabby gifford situation. but it does what jeff said, if in october of
2012
, the republicans are ahead. if we are talking about the new south states, obama will be ahead. if they want to expand the map. they want the republicans to play in these states as well. if obama is going to raise $1 billion, they can use advertising in
georgia
and arizona that forces
mitt romney
play in those states. deputy, political director and we'll be calling on you early and often. thank you.

>>he's announced
mitt romney
hasn't. you wonder once the cankacan date the back drop for

He may face fierce opposition from secular groups and progressives who argue that his religious rhetoric violates the separation of church and state and that his belief that some groups, such as the Boy Scouts of America, should be allowed to discriminate against gays is bigoted.

Huntsman, who is Mormon, worked as a missionary in Taiwan and is fluent in Mandarin. But his moderate credentials — backing civil unions for gays and the cap-and-trade energy legislation — could hurt him in a GOP primary. So could serving under Obama.

Michele Bachmann, announced on June 13

Larry Downing
/
REUTERS

Rep. Michele Bachmann

Born and raised in Iowa, this Tea Party favorite and Minnesota congresswoman announced during a June 13 GOP debate that she's officially in the running for the Republican nomination.

Bachmann tells The Associated Press she decided to jump into the 2012 race at this time because she believed it was "the right thing to do."

She's been criticized for making some high-profile gaffes — among them, claiming taxpayers would be stuck with a $200 million per day tab for President Barack Obama's trip to India and identifying New Hampshire as the site of the Revolutionary War's opening shots.

But Bachmann's proved a viable fundraiser, collecting more than $2 million in political contributions in the first 90 days of 2011 — slightly exceeding the $1.8 million Mitt Romney brought in via his PAC in the first quarter.

Rick Santorum, announced on June 6

Charlie Neibergall
/
AP file

Former Penn. Sen. Rick Santorum

A staunch cultural conservative vehemently against abortion and gay marriage, the former Pennsylvania senator hopes to energize Republicans with a keen focus on social issues.

No stranger to controversy, Santorum was condemned by a wide range of groups in 2003 for equating homosexuality with incest, pedophilia and bestiality. More recently, Santorum faced criticism when he called Obama’s support for abortion rights “almost remarkable for a black man.”

The former Massachusetts governor and 2008 presidential candidate has spent the last three years laying the foundations for another run at the White House — building a vigorous political action committee, making regular media appearances, and penning a policy-heavy book.

In April, he announced, via YouTube and Twitter, that he'd formed an exploratory commitee. Romney made his run official in Stratham, N.H., on June 2.

The former CEO of consulting firm Bain & Company and the president of the organizing committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Romney frequently highlights his business background as one of his main qualifications to serve as president.

To capture the nomination, Romney will have to defend the health care overhaul he enacted during his governorship — legislation that bears similarities to the Obama-backed bill despised by many conservatives. He'll also have to overcome the perception of being a flip-flopper (like supporting abortion rights in his 1994 and 2002 bids for office, but opposing them in his '08 run).

In the first quarter of 2011, he netted some $1.8 million through his PAC "Free and Strong America."

Herman Cain, announced on May 21

Brendan Smialowski
/
Getty Images file

Talk show host Herman Cain

Cain, an Atlanta radio host and former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, has support from some Tea Party factions.

An African-American who describes himself as a “citizen’s candidate,” he was the first Republican to form a formal presidential exploratory committee. He officially entered the race in May, telling supporters, "When we wake up and they declare the presidential results, and Herman Cain is in the White House, we'll all be able to say, free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, this nation is free at last, again!"

Prior to the release of President Obama's long-form birth certificate, Cain rehashed the birther theory, telling a Florida blogger, “I respect people that believe he should prove his citizenship ... He should prove he was born in the United States of America.”

Ron Paul, announced on May 13

Cliff Owen
/
AP file

Rep. Ron Paul

In 2008, Texas congressman Ron Paul’s libertarian rallying cry — and his opposition to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars — did not fall on deaf ears. An idiosyncratic foe of the Federal Reserve and a passionate advocate for limited government, Paul mounted a presidential run that was characterized by bursts of jaw-dropping online fundraising.

The former speaker of the House who led the 1994 “Republican Revolution,” Gingrich remains a robust presence on the GOP stage as a prolific writer and political thinker. In recent years, Barack Obama has provided a new target for the blistering critiques Gingrich famously leveled at President Bill Clinton.

In early May, he made his 2012 run official. "I have been humbled by all the encouragement you have given me to run," Gingrich wrote on Facebook and Twitter.

But a month later, the campaign was practically in ruins — with his campaign manager, spokesman, senior strategists all resigning en masse. Most cited issues with the "direction" of the campaign. But Gingrich vowed to press on.

Also at issue: Gingrich’s personal life could make winning the support of social conservatives thorny for the twice-divorced former lawmaker. In a damning interview earlier this year, Esquire quoted one of Gingrich’s former wives describing him as a hypocrite who preached the sanctity of marriage while in the midst of conducting an illicit affair.

Additional obstacles include his recent criticism of Rep. Paul Ryan’s fiscal plan as “right-wing social engineering" and reports of a $500,000 line of credit to Tiffany’s, the luxury jewelry company.

Gary Johnson, announced on April 21

Jim Cole
/
AP

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson

The former New Mexico governor took a big leap in late April, not by announcing an exploratory committee, but by actually announcing his official candidacy. “I’m running for president of the United States,” he told a couple of supporters and cameramen gathered for his announcement outside the New Hampshire State Capitol.

He's a steadfast libertarian who supports the legalization of marijuana. He vetoed more than 700 pieces of legislation during his two terms as governor.